Pane retainer



y 1936 J. 1. RussAKov 2,040,340

PANE RETAINER Original Filed March 25, 1933' @605 f ffuasa/ zou Patented May 12, 1936 Original application March 25, 19-33, Serial No, 662,665, now Patent No. 1,990,755.; Divided and this application June 13-,

1934, Serial Nb.

3 Claims. (Cl. 220-82) This invention relates to improved means for retaining a pane offglass or similar light-trans.- mitting panel in air'ame: It is of particular utility in connection with display closures forcans or'boiies froin which goods suchias cracker's, biscuits, and; similar articles are dispensed in: retaillst'ores;

Display closures of this type generally include a fixed frame and a swinging lid hinged to the frame; the lid being also of frame construction and carrying a transparent glass pane; One of the objects of the present invention is to provide improved and peculiarly advantageous means for holding thepane inproper position-while permitting its'ready removability for any purpose, and;

' means whereby such a pane may be readily inserted both initially and should the. one in use become broken... 7 I e f Pane-retaining. means of this general'type are shown for example in the patentto Russakov No.

1,511,426 and. the patent V to Campbell No. 1,656,816; but in these earlier constructions the spring retaining means must beei'ther entirely separated from the frame, or must be freed at one end and swung at the other end entirely out of the plane of the frame so as to permit the glass to be inserted or removed, and this has been found objectionable since with the prior art devices the spring is frequently broken off, seriously bent out of shape, or otherwise lost, and in addition time and effort are consumed in loosening and adjusting the retainer.

An important object of the present invention isto provide a spring retaining member which is positively but yieldingly maintained in one of two selected positions, one of which it is operative to engage the pane, and in the other of which it is in inoperative position sothat the ime may be removed or inserted, the spring retaihirig'inember being desirably always in one or the other or the two closely-adjacent positions, an'd'hing flexed from one to the other by a relatively slight movement, thus eifecting a saving in time and chart as well as guarding against loss or breakage of the-spring.

application is a division of my copending case Ser. No. 662,665, filed March 25, 1933 for Display covers, which has issued as Patent No. 1,990,755, granted February 12, 1935.

' In the drawing Figure 1 is a perspective view of a fragment of a conventional display closure of the type described,.with the lid swung back to show its underside and with the pane retainer associated in holding position with respect to' the pane of glass; 7

Figure '2 is a vertical section through the lid and closure as a whole, with the lidclosedt and showing the pane'retainer in elevation; and' Figure 3 is another bottom? view' of the lid in broken plan, showing the two p'ane retainers, one in holding position at one side of. the lid and the other at the other side, iii released position (in full lines) and in holding position (in dotted 1i)?v lines).

Referring in detail to the figures of the drawing, the box In is the usual-article container open at one end for dispensing purposes, this endbeing covered in the usual way by the display closure l l. fine display closure ll includes the usual fixed frame l2 which slips over the open end of the container l0 and through the open center I211 of which access maybe had to the articles in the container. V

The closure ll includes the swinging lid 13 which may be hinged to the fixed frame Why the hinge mechanism indicated generally by the numeral l4 and more specifically described and' claimed in my eopeii iiig application already ree ferred: toherein. As is well knowngthe'iid I3 is adapted to elosetne opening l'2d in the fixed frame member I2." M

' For display purposesg the lid l3 is-also partial ly in the iorm ore frame having' ai fiat portion 3 in which is the display opening?!) and having the side'members l5, l6 and. the front and rest members l1, l8 respectively, the fear member l8 forming apart of the hinge means l 4l In this instance, the sides l5, I6 are substantially parallel and perpendicular to the flat'portion.

The pane H! of glass or the like is desirably or an area slightly less than the inner dimensions or the lid frame, so as to completely meter the central display opening 20 in the lid, through 40 which thearticles in the container Ill may be viewed when the lid is closed; Inthis instance, the pane I9 is shown as a substantially square piece of transparent glass" of a thickness of between one-sixteenth and one-eighth of an inch, or thereaboutsi To retain the pane in tight contact with the inner surface or underside of the lid frame, I provide the improved pane retainers '21, there being as here shown a pair of thesere'tainers', entirely separate one from the other and acting independently at opposite margins of the glass pane. These flexible resilient" retainers hold the pane in. af xed plane relatively'to the lid. parallel with the flat portion and they areyassociated 2 w l with the lid frame, in this instance, by being mounted on the side frame members l5, l6 respectively, Since the retainers 2| are alike, a

detail'description of one will suffice for both.

The principal element of each of the pane retainers 2| is a spring retaining member formed desirably of a piece of strong round wire 22, here shown as of about the same thickness as the pane of glass l9.

In accordance with my present improvement,

the wire 22 is permanently held at both ends by rivets 23 which pass through the side framemembers of the lid and are headed on the inner and outer faces of the lid, the inner head 24 of each rivet being spaced fromthe inner face of the frame member so that the-wire 22 may be bent around the rivet as at 25 to form an eye which the lower half of Figure 3, the wire 22 extends toward the'edge 29 of the side' l5 parallel to the side and is bent intermediately of its ends to form a substantially. straight but relatively short portion 26 which is offset outwardly of the lid and overlies the edge 29. In the vicinity of this offsetrthe lid is provided with a detent'here shown as a lug 21 formed'by slotting the side frame member I5 or 16, as-the case may be, preferably arcuately as at 28, and striking inwardly the margins of this slot farthest removed from the pane l9, so that the lug 21 is. of somewhat semicircular shape and has a substantially flat edge directed toward the glass,upon which edge the offset 26lmay be caught, as shown in broken lines in. the lower half of Figure 3*or in full lines in the upper half of Figure 3, in which position the wire 22 is releasably maintained with its portions between the offset portion 26 and its ends out of parallel relation with the side [5 or l6 and overlying the flat portion,

In accordance with my invention; in one of the two alternative positions of the spring retaining member or wire 22, or in other words in the inoperative position of the spring retaining member, the main part of the wire is substantially parallel with the side frame member l5 or I 6, as the case may be, and snugly hugs this member to be out of the way of the glass. In other words,

in one of its alternative positions the retainer while still secured at its ends is entirely outside the perpendicular projection'of the glass pane l9; To positively but yieldingly maintain the spring wire'in this positionfthe wire is flexed so that ,the'offset '26 engages and extends out over the edge 29 of thelside frame member, as best shown in full" lines in the lower, half of Figure 3, the

offset 26 thusalso being out of the'way of the glass and serving toholdthe spring in inoperative position. When both of the spring retaining members 22 are in this position, they are freed the glass and the pane may be readily removed or replaced; The inherent resiliency of the wire, whenflexed-as described,'maintains the offset 26 in engagement with the edges 29 so as to keep the wires out of the way while the glass is being handled, and at the same time since the offset 26 is permitted to extend out over the frame in this position of the wire, the wire tends to straighten out parallel with the side of the frame and thus hold itself entirely clear of the margins of the glass, leaving practically the entire inner area of the frame occupied by the lass free of any obstruction to removal or insertion of a pane.

When the pane has been inserted, the wire 22 of each retainer is flexed in the opposite direction, again against its own resiliency, away from engagement with the edge 29 of the frame as shown in the lower half of Figure 3 and into the position 1 shown in the upper half of Figure 3, in which the wire has been sprung around the detent 21 until the offset 26 is in engagement with the relatively lflat edge of the detent facing thepane I9. Thereupon, thewire 22, by abutment of the offset 26 with the inner face of the frame, is caused to be bowed inwardly of the side frame member IE or I6, asthe case may be, to overlie the margin of the glass is and retain the glassfrom falling out. The inherent resiliency of the wire again maintains it in this position until the wire is again-flexed to releasing position as already described. a

In order that the retaining me'ans may not only hold the glass against falling out but may also hold it tightly butresiliently in contact with the inner face of the frame to guard against rat-' the glass when the wire is placed under tension in holding position in engagement with the de-. tent 21.

Thus the wireof each of the retainers 2| may be readily and independently flexed from one al-' ternative position to the other by a relatively slight movement while being retained in each position by the resiliency of the wire. i

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is z 1. In a pane retainer of the class described, the combination with a frame member having a flat portion and substantially parallel sides per.- pendicular' to said flat portion, of a transparent pane parallel with said flat portion but terminating short of the parallel sides, an elongated springy wire member substantiallypermanently secured at each end on one of said parallel sides,-

said member being normally entirely outside the perpendicular projection of the pane, and means for releasably retaining the wire flexed intermediate its ends into position within said perpendicular projection of the pane and closely over,- lying the pane.

2. In a pane retainer of the class described, the combination with a frame having a flat portion and a side substantially perpendicular thereto, of an elongated resilient flexible member permanently secured adjacent each of its ends to the frame, said member normallyextending from each end toward anedge of the said side and parallel to said side, said member having a portion intermediate its ends offset from said portions thereof which are parallel to said side, said offset portion overlying the said edge, and a detent on the frame for engaging said offset portion of the flexible member to maintain the flexible member releasably with its portions between its offset portion and its ends out of parallel relation with said side and overlying the flat por tion.

3. In a pane retainer of the class described for use with a frame member having a fiat portion and a side perpendicular to said flat portion, the combination of an elongated springy wire member permanently secured at each end on the said side, end portions of said member extending in one position from said secured ends bowed in a plane parallel and closely adjacent to the side, and said member having a medial off- 10 set portion, said medial ofiset portion being adapted to hook over the edge of the side when the end portions of the member are bowed in a plane parallel with the side, and a lug on the inner face of the side adapted to be engaged by the medial ofiset portion to releasably retain the end portions of the member bowed in a plane transverse to the side and overlapping the flat portion in another position of the member. 

